1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to the area of Internet browser applications and more particularly related to a method and system for providing additional displaying spaces while displaying a conventional hypermedia source without affecting contents in the conventional hypermedia source, wherein the conventional hypermedia source is commonly accessible and displayable by a conventional internet browser such as Internet Explorer from Microsoft Corporation and Netscape Communicator from Netscape Communications Corporation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional internet browsers running on personal computers can only locate and retrieve files from servers having limited types and forms of content and features. Conventional browsers limit users to a basic environment that is only nominally configurable via a small group of xe2x80x9cpreferences.xe2x80x9d A user visually moves a cursor around a graphic display typically by mouse or keypad inputs. The user can hyperlink to other internet locations or web pages by executing specially highlighted texts or two-dimensional metaphors for desired internet locations. The user is typically alone in the browser environment, but may chat with another user by expression-limited text boxes, or through an audio link that functions much like a telephone handset connection.
There are applications that provide realistic rendering spaces for experiencing audio and/or visual content. These applications are typically not configurable and don""t provide means for surfing the internet. Some examples include games applications and audio/video CDs and DVDs that incorporate sophisticated graphics. The games applications allow multiple users to interact, but only under the restrictions of the games programs. These applications programs do not provide a way to leverage rich media or to display HTML objects. The audio/video DVDs typically provide a solitary experience where a user executes an object and views and listens to audio and video files without interaction with other users.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a popular conventional hypermedia resource, i.e., the Yahoo(trademark) homepage. A user of a conventional world wide web browser may pull the Yahoo(trademark) homepage up on his or her personal computer display by entering a resource locator, e.g., www.yahoo.com, corresponding to a Yahoo(trademark) server. If the user is logged onto the internet, then when the user inputs the resource locator, the Yahoo(trademark) homepage is pulled from the Yahoo(trademark) server and displayed on the user""s pc display in the current window. If another hypermedia resource was located in that window before the request for Yahoo(trademark) was sent over the web to the Yahoo(trademark) server, then that other resource will be replaced by the Yahoo(trademark) homepage as the Yahoo(trademark) server responds to the user""s request. It is possible to return to that other resource by xe2x80x9cgoing back.xe2x80x9d However, the other resource will replace the Yahoo(trademark) homepage when the user goes back.
If the user wants to maintain the resource in the current window of the user""s pc display and also retrieve the Yahoo(trademark) homepage for contemporaneous viewing, then the user may first minimize the current window, before sending the request for the Yahoo(trademark) homepage. In this case, the Yahoo(trademark) homepage will come into a new window that can be reduced in size such that the other resource that was minimized can be brought into the display alongside the Yahoo homepage. Of course, only one page, i.e., the user selected active window, will respond to user inputs at any given time. The processor of the user""s pc can, however, execute instructions regarding multiple windows at the same time, although the processing for each window may occur more slowly than it would if the user""s processor, RAM, etc., were only working on one process. It is desired to be able to harmonize multiple hypermedia resources together in a single realistic viewing environment.
Advertisements are often dispersed throughout homepages of various sites. Some of these ads are executable or include a hyperlink to a page wherein more information or an opportunity to buy the product or service being advertised is available. Sometimes a request for a resource will result in an advertisement showing up on the user""s pc display before the resource arrives or before the resource is displayed. The advertisement gets a xe2x80x9chitxe2x80x9d when this happens. Sometimes the user is required to make a decision about the advertisement before it will go away, such as whether to order the product that is displayed or not. In this case, the advertisement not only gets a hit, but the company paying for the ad also gets an opportunity for a sale.
Another advertising method is to provide a xe2x80x9cframexe2x80x9d that remains permanently on the user""s display as the user browses in an otherwise typical way. Many internet service providers today will provide internet access free of charge if the user agrees to carry this frame around as he or she browses. Yet another advertising method involves receiving cyber cash for scrolling through advertisements (see www.cybergold.com and U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,210). It is desired to be able to harmonize one or more hypermedia resources, including one or more xe2x80x9cauxiliaryxe2x80x9d resources such as advertisements, together in a single realistic viewing environment.
A method and a software program running on a server computer connected to a network, such as the internet, including a three-dimensional viewing environment generating module are provided in accordance with the present invention. When a resource locator identifying a requested hypermedia resource, probably input by a pc user logged onto the network, is received from the network by the server computer, the three-dimensional viewing environment generating module generates a three dimensional viewing environment corresponding to and preferably including the requested hypermedia resource. The three-dimensional viewing environment is sent over the network to the user""s pc enabling the user to view the requested hypermedia resource in an overlay three-dimensional viewing environment, probably already running on the user""s pc.
A software program also provides instructions for a computer running a 3D browser to provide a viewing environment in a 3D space having one or more displays including a conventional hypermedia resource identifiable by a conventional resource locator. One or more additional displays may also be provided in the same viewing environment, wherein the additional displays each show an auxiliary hypermedia resource fetched from the network. A request may be generated for the 3D viewing environment displaying the conventional hypermedia resource when it is determined that the resource is not pre-designed for viewing with the 3D browser. In this case, the conventional hypermedia resource is fetched from the network and displayed within the 3D viewing environment. The auxiliary hypermedia resources may be commercial advertisements that can be viewed simultaneously with the conventional hypermedia source in the same 3D viewing environment.
A method is provided wherein a 3D viewing overlay is activated on a client computer, and a resource locator identifying a conventional hypermedia resource is output to a computer network. A 3D viewing environment is received wherein the hypermedia resource is displayed therein, within the overall 3D overlay. The 3D viewing environment preferably also includes one or more displayed auxiliary resources, such as advertisements, that may be viewed along with the conventional resource.
A method for providing the 3D viewing environment for the hypermedia resource by a server computer includes receiving a request including a resource locator identifying the hypermedia resource from the network, and outputting the 3D viewing environment to the network in response to the request. The method preferably includes checking whether a 3D viewing environment already exists for the hypermedia resource, and then if the checking reveals that a 3D viewing environment does not already exist, then one is generated. If the checking reveals that the 3D viewing environment does already exist, then it is retrieved and output to the network.